HB 486 — Replace End-Of-Course with National Assessment.

1.SECTION 2.(b) G.S.

either (i) achieve Achieve the minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of Page 2 House Bill 486-Second Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 North Carolinaonanationallynormedtest ofcollege readiness readiness.

2.

or(ii)areMeet all ofthefollowingcriteriaforcareerreadiness:

I.

Are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.courses.

II.

Earn a credential of value aligned to the pathway.

III.

Complete a work-based learning experience for academic credit." SECTION 2.(c) The State Board of Education shall develop a plan to implement the new career readiness indicator established by G.S.

115C-83.15(b)(2)e.2., as enacted by subsection (b) of this section.

In developing the implementation plan, the State Board of Education shall consider ways to incentivize schools to engage in partnerships with local businesses to provide a variety of course offerings to meet the job skills relevant to the community in which the schools are located.

The State Board shall report on the implementation plan to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by April 15, 2022.

SECTION 2.(d) G.S.

SECTION 2.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

115C-81.36(b)115C-83.15(b)(2) reads as rewritten:

"(b) When advanced courses are offered in mathematics in grades six and higher, any student scoring at the highest level on the end-of-grade or end-of-course test for the mathematics course in which the student was most recently enrolled shall be enrolled in the advanced course for the next mathematics course in which the student is enrolled.

A student in seventh grade scoring at the highest level on the seventh grade mathematics end-of-grade test shall be enrolled in ahigh school level mathematics coursein eighth grade.

Local boardsofeducationmayprovide supplemental content enrichment, which may include the administration of diagnostic assessments, to students enrolled in a high school level mathematics course.

No student who qualifies under this subsection shall be removed from the advanced or high school mathematics course in which the student is enrolled unless a parent or guardian of the student provides written consent for the student to be excluded or removed from that course after being adequately informed that the student's placement was determined by the student's achievement on the previous end-of-grade or end-of-course test." SECTION 3.(b) G.S.

115C-83.15(b)(2), as amended by subsection (b) of Section 2 of this act, reads as rewritten:

One point for each percent of students whowhoscore score at or above proficient on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math I end-of-course test or, for students who completed Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth grade, another mathematics coursecoursewith with an end-of-courseend-of-coursetest.themath test.meetsubtest theof standarda fornationally proficiencyrecognized inassessment of high school mathematics.achievement and college readiness.

One point for each percent of students whowhoscore score at or above proficient on the English II end-of-course test.meettest.the thereading standardsubtest forof proficiencya innationally recognized assessment of high school reading.achievement and college readiness.

One point for each percent of students whowhoscore score at or above proficient onontheBiologyend-of-coursetest.sciencesubtestorthesciencesubject thetest Biologyof end-of-coursea test.meetnationally therecognized standardassessment forof proficiency in high school science.achievement and college readiness.

Housee. Bill 486-Second Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 …." SECTION 3.(c) G.S.

One point for each percent of students who either (i) achieve the minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of college or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.readiness.

… g.

One point for each percent of students who graduate within four years of entering high school.

Page 2 House Bill 486-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 h.

One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency." SECTION 3.(b) G.S.

Proficiency on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math I end-of-course test or, for students who completed Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth grade, another mathematics course with an end-of-course test.intest.the math subtest of a nationally recognized assessment of high school math.achievement and college readiness.

ProficiencyProficiencyontheEnglishIIend-of-coursetest.reading onsubtest theof Englisha IInationally end-of-courserecognized test.highassessment of high school reading.achievement and college readiness.

Proficiency on the Biology end-of-course test.intest.science subtest of a nationally recognized assessment of high school science.achievement and college readiness.

Thepercentageofstudents whoeither(i)achievetheminimumwho either(i)achievetheminimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.meetreadiness.readiness." theSECTION career3.(c) readiness criteria identified in G.S.

115C-83.15(b)(2)e.2." SECTION 3.(d) G.S.

115C-105.41(a) reads as rewritten:

"(a) In order to implement Part 1A of Article 8 of this Chapter, local school administrative units shall identify students who are at risk for academic failure and who are not successfully progressing toward grade promotion and graduation, beginning in kindergarten.

Identification shall occur as early as can reasonably be done and can be based on grades, observations, diagnostic and formative assessments, State assessments, and other factors, including reading on grade level, that impact student performance that teachers and administrators consider appropriate, without having to await the results of end-of-grade or end-of-course tests.annual assessments of student achievement adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S.

115C-174.11(c)(1) or (1a)." SECTION 3.(e) G.S.

115C-174.12(a) reads as rewritten:

"(a) The State Board of Education shall establish policies and guidelines necessary for minimizing the time students spend taking tests administered through State and local testing Page 4 House Bill 486-Second Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 programs, for minimizing the frequency of field testing at any one school, and for otherwise carrying out the provisions of this Article.

These policies and guidelines shall include all of the following:

(1) Schools shall devote no more than two days of instructional time per year to the taking of practice tests that do not have the primary purpose of assessing current student learning;learning.

(2) Students in a school shall not be subject to field tests or national tests during the two-week period preceding the administration of end-of-grade tests, end-of-course tests, annual assessments of student achievement adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S.

115C-174.11(c)(1) or (1a), or the school's regularly scheduled final exams;

andexams.

(3) No school shall participate in more than two field tests at any one grade level during a school year;year.

(4) All annual assessments of student achievement adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S.

115C-174.11(c)(1) and (3) and all final exams for courses shall be administered within the final 10 instructional days of the school year for year-long courses and within the final five instructional days of the semester for semester courses.

Exceptions shall be permitted to accommodate a student's individualized education program and section 504 (29 U.S.C.

§ 794) plans and for the administration of final exams for courses with national or international curricula required to be held at designated times.

These policies shall reflect standard testing practices to insure reliability and validity of the sample testing.

The results of the field tests shall be used in the final design of each test.

The State Board of Education's policies regarding the testing of children with disabilities shall (i) provide broad accommodations and alternate methods of assessment that are consistent with a student's individualized education program and section 504 (29 U.S.C.

§ 794) plans, (ii) prohibit the use of statewide tests as the sole determinant of decisions about a student's graduation or promotion, and (iii) provide parents with information about the Statewide Testing Program and options for children with disabilities.

The State Board shall report its proposed policies and proposed changes in policies to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to adoption.

The State Board of Education may appoint an Advisory Council on Testing to assist in carrying out its responsibilities under this Article." SECTION 3.(f) G.S.

115C-276(q) reads as rewritten:

"(q) To Assign School Principals.

– Subject to local board policy, the superintendent shall have the authority to assign principals to school buildings.

When making an assignment, the superintendent shall consider (i) whether a principal has demonstrated the leadership ability to increase student achievement at a school where conditions indicated a significant risk of low student performance;

and (ii) how to maintain stability at a school where, during the time the principal has been at a school, there has been significant improvement on end-of-course or end-of-gradetestsandotheraccountabilitymeasuresdevelopedbytheStateBoardofEducation." SECTION 3.(g) G.S.

116-280 that House Bill 486-Second486-First Edition Page 53 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 choose to participate in the information exchange.

The standardized transcript shall include grade point average, class rank, end-of-course test scores, andscores uniformfrom coursethe informationnationally includingrecognized courseassessment code,of name,high unitsschool earnedachievement toward graduation, and creditscollege earnedreadiness foradministered admissionpursuant fromto anG.S. institution of higher education.

The115C-174.11(c), grade point average and classuniform rankcourse shallinformation beincluding calculatedcourse bycode, aname, standardunits methodearned totoward begraduation, devised by the institutions of higher education." SECTION 3.(h) Subsection (g) of this section becomes effective July 1, 2023, and appliescredits toearned transcripts for studentsadmission infrom eleventhan gradeinstitution inof thehigher 2023-2024education. school year and thereafter.

The grade point average and class rank shall be calculated by a standard method to be devised by the institutions of higher education." SECTION 3.(d) Subsections (a) and (b) of this section become effective January 1, 2023, and apply beginning with school performance grades issued based on data from the 2022-2023 school year.

Subsection (c) of this section becomes effective July1, 2022, and applies beginning with students entering the eleventh grade during the 2022-2023 school year.

Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes lawlaw. and applies to high school test administrations beginning with the 2023-2024 school year and school performance grades beginning with those based on data from the 2023-2024 school year.

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